<p>Hello everyone! Our October CC Book Club selection is State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. Per Amazon, “In State of Wonder, pharmaceutical researcher Dr. Marina Singh sets off into the Amazon jungle to find the remains and effects of a colleague who recently died under somewhat mysterious circumstances.”</p>
<p>That is, of course, a simplified summary of a story that Amazon describes as “emotional, vivid…and a thing of beauty and mystery.”</p>
<p>Not convinced yet? Check out the review from NPR (which SouthJerseyChessMom posted on our previous book club thread):</p>
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<p>Discussion begins October 1st. I hope you’ll join us!</p>
<p>Just finished Bel Canto, and looking forward to this one. We will all have such high expectations after reading Mary13’s post. Hope that reviewer is reliable ;)</p>
<p>I’ve been off schedule from when I start books and you guys start books, but I am excited to have finished my last book a few nights ago, and was looking for something new. Will run out and get the book tomorrow!</p>
<p>i have to admit i did like this book–but i can’t figure out why. it is so unlike most books in my “must read pile”. i look forward to hearing all the insights of others.</p>
<p>^ bookworm, do you mean that the members of your bookclub all read State of Wonder and then decided not to discuss it because they didn’t like it? That’s not what I would expect. Instead, I would think that such strong feelings would make for a lively discussion! Now I’m intrigued, but I’m not going to read anything more about the book, as I’d rather go into it knowing as little as possible.</p>
<p>I’m about a third of the way through and am really enjoying it. I’m trying to figure out which characters will end up being the good guys vs. bad guys.</p>
<p>I’m only slightly into it, but it hasn’t grabbed me yet. Seems stilted and slow at the beginning. Anyone who read it and loved it feel the same at the start?</p>
<p>itslfs - For me, this book started slowly, but I forged ahead because I like Bel Canto so much, and felt there was reason for optimism. Just finished it last night, and I’m so glad I read it. Can’t stop thinking about it. I may have to join the CC book club for this one!</p>
<p>I agree with FauxNom - it did seem slow at the beginning but Ann Patchett is one of my favorite writers so I persisted. It does pick up as the story moves along.</p>
<p>I should try it again. Am a fan of Patchett, but the beginning seemed so stiff, and the characters and situation unlikeable/unbelievable, that I stopped on the strength of the life’s-too-short rule.</p>
<p>teriwitt, Bel Canto is one of my favorite Ann Patchett books (Truth & Beauty being the other). Actually, I would rank Bel Canto up in my top 10-15 favorite books ever. It was a fascinating character study with a great plot, IMHO. I liked State of Wonder but didn’t feel it was her best work. The characters seems a little flat to me but I’ll save my analysis for our book club ‘meeting’.</p>
<p>I just listened to the audiobook on a road trip. I have the book on hand, but the library just happened to have the State of Wonder audio book - ten hours on cd - available and I grabbed it up. I thought the reader did a good job; I easily pictured the various characters as I listened. I’m tempted to say that I liked the audio version of the book more than I might have the actual book - due to the skill of the reader - but honestly it’s hard to know.</p>
<p>Anyway, for someone who has the time and inclination, I can recommend checking out the audio edition.</p>
See y’all in October!</p>